Health Matters: Obesity rates increased during COVID-19 pandemic
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Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
University of Saskatchewan researchers study bats to combat future pandemics
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are studying bats to find a cure for future pandemics. Dr. Arinjay Banerjee says that bats do not get sick, but they still manage to carry and keep many viruses alive. The focus of their research is to uncover why the bats do not get sick and turn that into a cure for future pandemics. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The studies will help scientists come up with quicker vaccinations for diseases like COVID-19, lowering potential mortality rates. So far, three research papers have come from four years' worth of research. The first paper looks at how bats transfer diseases like the Nipah virus to animals humans are commonly exposed to, like pigs. The second paper expands on how viruses survive in bats and why bats have a higher tolerance for getting sick compared to humans. Story continues below advertisement The final paper looked at immune responses in both bats and humans and how that can lead to creating vaccines and medicine for future pandemics. Watch the video above to learn more about Dr. Banerjee, his team and how they plan to protect against the next global pandemic.
The Province
9 hours ago
- The Province
B.C. government plans to cut payments for long-COVID clinics, leaving patients in the lurch
At least one clinic could be forced to close, leaving 5,000 patients in the lurch as research on long-term impacts of virus still underway. Devon Hall, a Victoria resident, has been struggling with long COVID for 18 months. Photo by Darren Stone/Times Colonist / TIMES COLONIST A virtual clinic that treats patients for long COVID and other chronic conditions is warning that it may have to partially shut down if the province goes ahead with changes on Sept. 1 that would limit the number of patients who can take part in online group appointments. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The B.C. Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia, run by internal medicine specialists doctors Ric Arseneau and R. Jane McKay, treats 5,000 patients for a variety of chronic diseases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, which causes extreme fatigue, and PoTS, a heart rate condition. After each patient goes through an initial one-on-one consultation, followup appointments can take the form of a virtual group medical visit of up to 12 patients, where either Arseneau or McKay take at least one to two questions per patient, or a group medication visit of up to 50 patients, which allows for presentations on different medications and then takes questions from patients. Following the larger group sessions, patients can request prescriptions by email, which are then reviewed by one of the two physicians, according to the clinic's website. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But in a June 27 letter to patients, Arseneau stated that he may have to 'abandon our clinic model' starting Sept. 1, due to upcoming changes to B.C.'s medical services plan that would limit to 20 the number of patients per group medical visit that the clinic could charge for. The letter said the changes could shift the burden for these patients' care back on to the primary health-care system and raise overall costs for the system. It also said there are few other specialized facilities capable of treating these chronic conditions and the ones that do exist already have long waiting lists. 'The result is that we will need to abandon our group-based clinic model. MSP's unwillingness to discuss the fate of our already underserviced patients results in our moving forward with a plan we were hoping to avoid,' the letter said. 'We will need to return most of your care to your primary care provider (if you have one). We will no longer be able to prescribe and provide prescription renewals through group medication visits.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the province is tightening the rules around group telehealth appointments to ensure patients are getting one-on-one attention from a physician. During COVID-19, the limits on the number of people that could be packed into each appointment had been raised due to the inability for doctors to see patients in-person. 'Following the pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Doctors of B.C. established a collaborative virtual care working group to evaluate and recommend permanent updates to virtual care delivery. The ministry has recently begun implementing some of the approved rule changes related to group medical visits,' the statement said. 'These changes were developed in consultation and agreement with the Doctors of B.C. to ensure that requirements of group medical visits are adhered to, including the requirement for a one-to-one interaction between the physician and the patient.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to the Medical Services Plan's payment schedule, a doctor can currently charge $7.32 a person for a half-hour telehealth group medical visit, meaning the total cost to the province for a half-hour appointment with 50 patients would be $366. An hour-long appointment would cost $732. The clinic declined an interview request. A spokesperson said they still plan to appeal to the province. Several patients, however, are speaking out to express their concerns that the clinic could reduce its services or even close. 'It is going to leave these people without the care they need,' said Devon Hall, a Victoria resident who has been struggling with long COVID for 18 months. 'We're not able to access prescriptions through a group clinic model any more, which is going to put a burden back on primary health-care providers. I now have to wait two months to be able to get in with my nurse practitioner.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Lorraine Graves, a longtime science journalist based in Richmond, who has been struggling with long COVID since March 2020, said clinics like Arseneau's are some of the only supports people struggling with the disease have left as the world has largely moved on from the pandemic. As of June 2023, the federal government estimated that 2.1 million Canadians were still struggling with long-COVID symptoms and yet, said Graves, there is little in the way of specialized treatment. 'We need individualized care. We need access to larger group sessions. We need doctors who believe us. Most doctors don't believe in long COVID, and that's so disappointing,' said Graves, who also said there is no reason why patients can't successfully be treated or informed by doctors in larger group settings. 'I think 20 is a little small, because if the government thinks we can learn in classes of 300 in Psych 101, why can we not learn in a large class from the best there are, like Arseneau and his partner and all the other people spread across Canada?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Richmond resident Krista Greene said she had chronic health issues for 20 years that went undiagnosed until she met Arseneau. He promptly diagnosed her with both fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis, she said. She says he is one of the only doctors she has met who actually understands these conditions, which is why so many of his patients are concerned about the possible reduction of services at the clinic. 'Everybody is desperate and panicking because these conditions are so easy to mistreat and misdiagnose,' said Greene. 'Some patients are so ill they're bed-bound … And often when patients get bed-bound, they end up dying. But this guy knows what's happening, and he can help and see how bed-bound patients are still able to have a good quality of life.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She believes the group appointments have allowed him to expand the number of people he sees to 5,000, while also bringing in specialists for webinars to further inform patients about their options. Dr. Don Sin, director of the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, said he isn't a fan of group medical appointments as they don't allow patients to get individualized care for unique needs. He said long-COVID cases are also unique for each individual, with some having their lungs impacted while others develop brain fog or extreme fatigue. 'I think the traditional one-patient, one-physician model, and, preferably, face-to-face model is the way to go. I think you get the best information for diagnostic purposes, and from a patient perspective, you get individualized care,' said Sin. 'If you have a dental issue, would you like to go and sit in front of a group of people with dental cavities or would you like to see the dentist one-on-one?' Read More Vancouver Canucks Sports News Vancouver Canucks News
Vancouver Sun
18 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. government plans to cut payments for long-COVID clinics, leaving patients in the lurch
A virtual clinic that treats patients for long COVID and other chronic conditions is warning that it may have to partially shut down if the province goes ahead with changes on Sept. 1 that would limit the number of patients who can take part in online group appointments. The B.C. Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia, run by internal medicine specialists doctors Ric Arseneau and R. Jane McKay, treats 5,000 patients for a variety of chronic diseases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, which causes extreme fatigue, and PoTS, a heart rate condition. After each patient goes through an initial one-on-one consultation, followup appointments can take the form of a virtual group medical visit of up to 12 patients, where either Arseneau or McKay take at least one to two questions per patient, or a group medication visit of up to 50 patients, which allows for presentations on different medications and then takes questions from patients. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Following the larger group sessions, patients can request prescriptions by email, which are then reviewed by one of the two physicians, according to the clinic's website. But in a June 27 letter to patients, Arseneau stated that he may have to 'abandon our clinic model' starting Sept. 1, due to upcoming changes to B.C.'s medical services plan that would limit to 20 the number of patients per group medical visit that the clinic could charge for. The letter said the changes could shift the burden for these patients' care back on to the primary health-care system and raise overall costs for the system. It also said there are few other specialized facilities capable of treating these chronic conditions and the ones that do exist already have long waiting lists. 'The result is that we will need to abandon our group-based clinic model. MSP's unwillingness to discuss the fate of our already underserviced patients results in our moving forward with a plan we were hoping to avoid,' the letter said. 'We will need to return most of your care to your primary care provider (if you have one). We will no longer be able to prescribe and provide prescription renewals through group medication visits.' In a statement, the Health Ministry said the province is tightening the rules around group telehealth appointments to ensure patients are getting one-on-one attention from a physician. During COVID-19, the limits on the number of people that could be packed into each appointment had been raised due to the inability for doctors to see patients in-person. 'Following the pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Doctors of B.C. established a collaborative virtual care working group to evaluate and recommend permanent updates to virtual care delivery. The ministry has recently begun implementing some of the approved rule changes related to group medical visits,' the statement said. 'These changes were developed in consultation and agreement with the Doctors of B.C. to ensure that requirements of group medical visits are adhered to, including the requirement for a one-to-one interaction between the physician and the patient.' According to the Medical Services Plan's payment schedule, a doctor can currently charge $7.32 a person for a half-hour telehealth group medical visit, meaning the total cost to the province for a half-hour appointment with 50 patients would be $366. An hour-long appointment would cost $732. The clinic declined an interview request. A spokesperson said they still plan to appeal to the province. Several patients, however, are speaking out to express their concerns that the clinic could reduce its services or even close. 'It is going to leave these people without the care they need,' said Devon Hall, a Victoria resident who has been struggling with long COVID for 18 months. 'We're not able to access prescriptions through a group clinic model any more, which is going to put a burden back on primary health-care providers. I now have to wait two months to be able to get in with my nurse practitioner.' Lorraine Graves, a longtime science journalist based in Richmond, who has been struggling with long COVID since March 2020, said clinics like Arseneau's are some of the only supports people struggling with the disease have left as the world has largely moved on from the pandemic. As of June 2023, the federal government estimated that 2.1 million Canadians were still struggling with long-COVID symptoms and yet, said Graves, there is little in the way of specialized treatment. 'We need individualized care. We need access to larger group sessions. We need doctors who believe us. Most doctors don't believe in long COVID, and that's so disappointing,' said Graves, who also said there is no reason why patients can't successfully be treated or informed by doctors in larger group settings. 'I think 20 is a little small, because if the government thinks we can learn in classes of 300 in Psych 101, why can we not learn in a large class from the best there are, like Arseneau and his partner and all the other people spread across Canada?' Richmond resident Krista Greene said she had chronic health issues for 20 years that went undiagnosed until she met Arseneau. He promptly diagnosed her with both fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis, she said. She says he is one of the only doctors she has met who actually understands these conditions, which is why so many of his patients are concerned about the possible reduction of services at the clinic. 'Everybody is desperate and panicking because these conditions are so easy to mistreat and misdiagnose,' said Greene. 'Some patients are so ill they're bed-bound … And often when patients get bed-bound, they end up dying. But this guy knows what's happening, and he can help and see how bed-bound patients are still able to have a good quality of life.' She believes the group appointments have allowed him to expand the number of people he sees to 5,000, while also bringing in specialists for webinars to further inform patients about their options. Dr. Don Sin, director of the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, said he isn't a fan of group medical appointments as they don't allow patients to get individualized care for unique needs. He said long-COVID cases are also unique for each individual, with some having their lungs impacted while others develop brain fog or extreme fatigue. 'I think the traditional one-patient, one-physician model, and, preferably, face-to-face model is the way to go. I think you get the best information for diagnostic purposes, and from a patient perspective, you get individualized care,' said Sin. 'If you have a dental issue, would you like to go and sit in front of a group of people with dental cavities or would you like to see the dentist one-on-one?'
